Golf Enthusiasts Tee Off at the First U.S. Qualifier for the 2014 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Qualifier in Chicago, Amateur Series Qualifier Winners Fly to Turkey for Chance to Play Alongside Professional

Golf Enthusiasts Tee Off at the First U.S. Qualifier for the 2014 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Qualifier in Chicago, Amateur Series Qualifier Winners Fly to Turkey for Chance to Play Alongside Professional

Posted By Svjetlana Stojanovic, Community Contributor

2014 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Qualifier group photo prior to teeing off at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Ill.

2014 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Qualifier group photo prior to teeing off at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Ill. (Posted By Svjetlana Stojanovic, Community Contributor)

Chicago - (June 16, 2014) - 68 Chicagoland area golf enthusiasts took part in an exciting competition at the Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Ill., as a part of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup; one of the sports largest amateur tournaments. Through this expansive global competition, Turkish Airlines, recently voted Europe's best airline for the third consecutive year, capitalized on the success and popularity of last year's inaugural tournament by expanding to 50 qualifying events across the globe in 2014. Chicago, which was the first U.S. World Golf Cup qualifier of the tournament, is a cornerstone of Turkish Airlines' expansive global network that includes six gateways in the U.S., flying to 255 destinations worldwide, in more countries than any other airline.

Winners of the qualifier - Jim Cavanagh, of Naperville, Ill. and Ira Goldberg, of Downers Grove, Ill. - will advance to the grand finals, which will be held at the luxurious Maxx Royal Resort in Belek, Antalya in Turkey from November 9th-16th. Business Class flights on Turkish Airlines - with transfers to Belek - will be provided to the two winners of each of the 50 qualifying rounds, in addition to five-star accommodations during their stay. Winners of the grand final will get the chance to play in the Turkish Airlines Open PRO AM, alongside a professional.

Participants, including Turkish Airlines' guests, corporate club members and business partners, were given the opportunity to compete at one of the finest golf venues in the Chicagoland area while having the chance to network with their peers. Players teed off in the early morning hours in shotgun format for the 18-hole tournament, which was open to men and women with an official handicap limit of 36. Prizes were awarded to the top three players in each category. Additionally, Turkish Airlines upped the rivalry by challenging players to "Nearest to the Pin" and "Hole in One" competitions during the event.

"We're honored to have hosted the first U.S. qualifier for the second annual Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup," said Levent Selvili, General Manager for Turkish Airlines in Chicago. "This city houses some incredibly talented businessmen and women, and it was a pleasure watching them unite on the golf course, for what was a truly electrifying day."

Following the Chicago qualifier, the next events will be held in Edinburgh, Shanghai, Lisbon, Milan and Rome, with the two remaining U.S. qualifiers taking place in Los Angeles on August 4, and New York on October 1.

Turkish Airlines Chicago gateway offers travelers daily flights to Istanbul, flying passengers to a total of 255 destinations worldwide, in more countries than any other airline. Turkish Airlines main hub in Istanbul is rapidly becoming a connecting point for international passengers and is on track to become Europe's third-busiest airport this year. The country welcomed 34.9 million non-Turkish visitors in 2013, a 9.84 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In fact, Istanbul was recently named the top worldwide destination in the annual TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® Destination awards, as determined by travelers' reviews on the website. TravelAdvisor, the world's largest travel site, weighed users' ranking for hotels, attractions, and restaurants at the destinations over a 12-month period to determine the winners.

About Turkish Airlines: Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a 4-star airline today with a fleet of 252 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 255 destinations worldwide with 212 international and 43 domestic. According to Skytrax survey of 2013, Turkish Airlines was chosen "Europe's Best Airline" for the third and "Best Airline in Southern Europe" for the fourth consecutive time. Having won in 2010 the world's "Best Economy Catering Service" award, Turkish Airlines was this year awarded the world's "Best Business Catering Service" prize in the Skytrax survey. More information about Turkish Airlines can be found on their website: www.turkishairlines.com.

About Star Alliance: Turkish Airlines is a member of the airline alliance, Star Alliance which was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Air India has been announced as a future member airline with Avianca Brazil to join under the existing Avianca membership. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 18,000 daily flights to 1,269 airports in 193 countries.###